Dry Eyes: a Dangerous Affliction

Your eyes are very sensitive, and no one wants to endure eye pain. Unfortunately, there are many different diseases and conditions that can affect your eyes. One of these afflictions that is much more serious that it originally appears is dry eyes.

What Causes Dry Eyes?

Dry eyes are caused when the tears produced by your eyes are not able to provide sufficient moisture content. Either your eyes are not producing enough tears to provide adequate moisture and lubrication for the surface of your eyes, or your eyes are not producing good quality tears.

Dry eyes can also be caused if the evaporation rate is increased, causing tears to evaporate from the tear film of a person’s eyes and tears get evaporated from the tear film of a person’s eyes. Tear film consists of three different layers. The outer-most layer is oily in order to smooth the eye’s surface and reduce the rate of evaporation, allowing the tears to stay on the eye. The next layer is the watery layer, which actually produces tears, helping to clean the eye and wash away any foreign and irritating particles. Then comes the innermost layer of mucus. Mucus helps the watery layer spread evenly and keeps the eye moist. Without any one of these layers, tears do not remain in the eyes, and the eyes dry up.

What Makes You a Target for Dry Eyes?

Dry eyes are most common in people above 60 years of age. If suffering from dry eyes, you will suffer from persistent dryness and scratchiness. Often it feels like a burning sensation and your eyes will be red. Although it can be a long-lasting condition due to age, it can also happen temporarily in certain situations, such as in an airplane or an air-conditioned room. Your eyes can even feel dry after looking at a computer screen for a long time.

When you visit the doctor, he or she will try to measure the amount of tears your eye is producing via a test. After your tears are measured, your doctor will prescribe an artificial tear solution based on your specific diagnosis. These solutions can easily be bought from any medical store and will cure your dry eyes. If left untreated, dry eyes could affect your vision, but this is very easy to prevent.

In case you think you are suffering from dry eyes, you should consult the qualified specialists at the Cornea Consultants of Arizona.